


No Chance, No Change

by orphan_account



Series: Dates with a gym leader [3]
Category: Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Alternative Perspective, F/M, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 10:23:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8574646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What was it that happened to Kate and Tommy, as Billy sat waiting for Teddy to come? An alternative perspective on Kate's and Tommy's relationship during the first chapter of The Messages Left Behind.





	

“Come on,” Kate sighed, “let’s go then.”

Tommy seized her hand, and she didn’t work against him as he dragged the two of them away from Billy. They had made it only a few feet when Tommy opened his mouth.

“A ham sandwich walks into a bar,” Tommy said, more so to break the silence rather than anything else. “But the barman says, ‘Sorry, we don’t serve food here.’”  

If it was something Tommy was proud of, it was that he had the ability to make Kate laugh. The dry, almost completely decomposed leaves underneath their shoes could barely be heard, not when Kate’s laughter filled Tommy’s ears to the brink. He laughed alongside her when she muttered, “I can’t believe you’re such a dad.” They made their way further into the forest.

In a perfect world, in another universe, Tommy would be able to reach out and grab a hold of her. Maybe she’d smile at him, the way she only smiled around him and his brother, and Tommy would be able to kiss her the way he had imagined kissing her since the first time they met. In that world, she would accept the kiss. Perhaps even go as far as to kiss him back.

In an imperfect world, in this universe, Tommy didn’t do anything of the sort. Instead, he told her yet another bad joke, and filled his memory of the picture he had of her now: shining in the setting sun, dark hair creating an almost golden halo around her face when she turned to beckon him on. He walked on, and wished he could hold her hand.

They stopped when they realized they couldn’t see Billy anymore. When they yelled out at him, he didn’t answer.

“You think he’ll be alright?” Kate asked, placing herself on a moss-free stump.

“I’m sure he’ll be,” Tommy said. He sat down on a rock near her. “He’s stronger than he looks. And he knows which direction we went.”

He had sat himself close enough to Kate that he could almost, if he tried hard enough, feel the heat radiating from her. It was also close enough that, when he told her a third bad joke (something about elephants and fridges), she punched him in the arm. He hadn’t tried to dodge it, but winced sadly afterwards.

“I can’t believe you hit me!” Tommy mocked her. He raised his voice several octaves, just because he knew Kate hated it when he did so.

“Oh, shush,” Kate said back, “I barely brushed your arm.”

“I felt that punch all the way into my very bones.” He took off the jacket he had been wearing, and lifted the sleeves of the t-shirt. His skin was as even as always. “See!” he said though, “I’m all black and blue already.” Then he let out a snort, as he saw Kate laugh next to him.

“Oh, shut up,” she said between breaths. “You whine more than a baby.”

Tommy shook his head. “Nuh-uh.”

Kate laughed on, and asked, “Are you sure?” Tommy didn’t bother to answer.

The laughter died down. Tommy listened to the sounds of the forest: a bird tweeting just before the sun set altogether, and rustling of the leaves in the wind. Kate’s breathing, just like his own, returned to normal. The quiet, one they had experienced before, dragged out into long minutes.

Then, just as he saw Kate starting to relax, Tommy got the _brilliant_ idea to—

“I can’t believe you’d _do_ that, though.”

Speak.

Kate burst out laughing again, and Tommy continued with, “Hit me, I mean. Both my emotions and my physical side are hurt, alright, Katie? I’m _wounded_.”

“You are _not_ wounded, so shut up.” She stopped for a moment, just to seem serious in front of him. It held for a moment or two before she burst out into laughter again. “Honestly, Tommy, shut the fuck up.”

Tommy took a sharp breath. “You _swore!_ ”

Kate repeated herself. “Shut.” A pause. “The.” Another. “ _Fuck_.” Some real intention there, Tommy thought. “Up.”

“Or what?” Taunting. He felt like a child.

Kate had apparently thought in the same lines, because she said, “Stop acting like a kid.” A smirk, not far from childish itself, then, “Or I’ll _make_ you shut up.” She jumped at him, and knocked him off the stone. Down into the foliage they went, tumbling until Kate had him pinned down in some kind of master-self-defense-grip. Tommy felt a root press against his ribs.

“How could you _do_ this?” Tommy asked. He winced, from real pain. “Here I am, trying to look out for my brother together with his best friend.” He tried to wiggle himself free, but couldn’t move even an inch. “And you had to go attack me? What if—“

“Shut up,” Kate repeated. She wasn’t laughing, but her expression didn’t read of annoyance either. “And kiss me.” The addition came out no more than a whisper.

Tommy thought he had misheard her. An auditory hallucination to accompany his deepest wishes. “What?” he asked, and then her lips were on him.

It lasted a second, a minute, an hour, a year, and an eternity, all at the same time. It was too short. It was too long. Tommy couldn’t breathe. He felt like he was flying. It felt like he was pinned down to the ground, a root crushing against his ribs, as Kate kept kissing him. A fair trade was made when she loosened her grip on his arms, and he had the opportunity to bring his hands to her face.

They broke apart in the dark. Tommy could hear a ‘pling’ come from Kate’s phone as he felt his own vibrate. Taking them out, they could both read Billy’s text: “Please come back.”

“We should hurry,” Kate said. She smiled down at him as she stood up, and then lent him her hand so that he could get up. She didn’t let Tommy’s hand go as she lead them back towards where Billy would be. And Tommy? Tommy wouldn’t change a thing.


End file.
